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Psychologists doubt the new I-CAN assessment will prove adequate for setting individual NDIS budgets.

The Daily Telegraph reports NDIS participants will have answers processed through an algorithm to inform funding, after a structured interview with an NDIA assessor. At least one psychologist says the tool is not sufficiently reliable or valid for high-stakes use.

The Australian Psychological Society is separately warning evidence is weak and replacing clinical material will sideline professional advice.

Why this matters: A support-needs assessment sits close to the point where personal circumstances become budgets. Errors result in too little support, unnecessary spending or repeated review disputes - especially for people whose disability is progressive, fluctuating or complex.

The NDIA says the assessment is a broader, not one instrument in isolation, and that further testing and research will occur. Public guidance makes the point plans still require approval.

What to watch next: Will the algorithm be considered medical-device software under Australian law?

Source: Daily Telegraph — NDIS assessment tool slammed as 'dangerous' and mathematically flawed

Law webinars: The NDIA has opened registrations for 11 one-hour participant webinars, covering plan reassessments, support determinations, decision-making and using a plan; they are for participants, families, and carers, not providers.
Source: National Disability Insurance Agency

WA rollout: Western Australia says $361 million in joint funding over five years will support Thriving Kids, with services introduced in phases from 1 October 2026 to 1 January 2028. Families will not need a diagnosis to seek the community-based, time-limited support.
Source: WA Department of Communities

Mileage rises: The Fair Work Commission has temporarily lifted the vehicle allowance in the SCHADS and Aged Care awards from $1.01 to $1.05 a kilometre, from the first full pay period on or after 1 September until 28 February 2027.
Source: Fair Work Commission

Paid testing: Rare Voices Australia says the NDIA is working with it and the Rare Disease Disability Network to identify participants with complex support needs for paid, targeted support-needs-assessment testing. The work is due to conclude by December, ahead of new framework planning in April 2027.
Source: Rare Voices Australia

Stories wanted: PWDA’s creative competition invites LGBTQIA+ adults with disability to submit writing, video, art, music, Auslan or other original work that challenges stigma. Entries open 1 September and close 25 October; four prizes range from $1,500 to $2,500.
Source: People with Disability Australia

Checks increase: McMillan Shakespeare says its NDIS plan and support services business grew to 44,000 customers and $59.8 million revenue in FY26. It invested $1.1 million in fraud detection and verification while claims subjected to NDIA payment-integrity checks rose 88 per cent.
Source: McMillan Shakespeare FY26 results

NDIS assessment tool slammed as 'dangerous' and mathematically flawed

A registered psychologist argues the adapted I-CAN has not been validated for allocating individual NDIS budgets and could produce underfunding. The NDIA says planning will draw on a wider testing; the APS says evidence remains weak.
Source: Daily Telegraph — 31 August 2026, 5:00am AEST — Paywall: Yes

Brisbane's disabled bathroom crisis revealed ahead of 2032 Paralympics

Brisbane City Council data obtained by the newspaper shows 105 of 580 public toilets are inaccessible, with train stations among the problem sites. Disability advocates demand attention before the 2032 Paralympics.
Source: Courier-Mail — 30 August 2026, 12:00am AEST — Paywall: Yes

Medicare locks out nurse-led clinics that keep patients out of ED, drains NDIS

Clinical nurse specialist Melissa Freeman says independent registered-nurse clinics cannot bill Medicare, so some participants use NDIS core funding for wound, catheter and medication care. She argues the same clinical service should be health-funded regardless of who delivers it, particularly where regional alternatives are scarce.
Source: The Australian — Paywall: Yes

Vehicle allowance win for home care workers after Fair Work ruling

The temporary award change lifts the rate to $1.05 a kilometre for disability, home-care and aged-care workers who use their own vehicles.
Source: The Australian — Paywall: Yes